


Old Friends, New Beginnings

by Mira_A_Henss



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Nightmares, kinda Serpent AU, season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24149260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mira_A_Henss/pseuds/Mira_A_Henss
Summary: So, the Riverdale creators said that Season 4 would be more like Season 1 but honestly it was not. So, this is a Season 4 fix-it. Betty has nightmares, the 'core four' help her with it. Jughead and Veronica team up for a sleuthing mission, a 'J&V collabration' as Veronica calls it and there's a Serpent meeting at the end with new Serpents, patching of old friendships and outlawing of old traditions.
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews & Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom & Toni Topaz, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty & Kevin Keller, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller, Jughead Jones & Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	Old Friends, New Beginnings

"Cheryl? Why are you still up?" Toni asks, rubbing her eyes as she catches sight of her girlfriend sitting on the couch at the other end of the room with a book in her hand.   
"I just got to the interesting part, Tee-Tee." Cheryl says, holding her book up as evidence." I swear I'll sleep soon."   
"You sure?" Toni asks, suspicious.  
"Yup. You go to sleep. I'm fine." she says and Toni falls asleep again, pulling the comforter over her.

\------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------

"B." Veronica says, shaking Betty's shoulder who is thrashing around in Veronica's bed and mumbling something unintelligible.   
"Betty." Veronica says, more firmly this time and Betty wakes up with a gasp, looking around, confused.  
"It's okay. Come here. I got you." she says and hugs Betty tightly, wrapping her arms around Betty's shoulders.   
"Have some water." she says, pouring Betty a glass of water and thrusts into Betty's shaking hands. Watches her gulp it down. Pretends like she knows what she's doing.  
"Are you okay, B?" she asks and Betty flashes her a weak smile.  
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a bad dream. I'm fine, now." Betty says, staring down at her lap, embarrassed.   
"I'm sorry for waking you up. I didn't-" she starts and Veronica cuts her off with a glare.   
"It's no bother, B. Honestly. Don't apologize." she says, taking Betty's hand in hers. "Do you want to, maybe, talk about it?"  
"It's kinda been the same dream lately, V. The four of us are in the woods and I see Penelope Blossom shoot my father's brains out. And that scene just keeps repeating. Over and over." she says, shuddering involuntarily.  
"That sounds awful, B. But if we survived that awful night, I am sure that we can survive the nightmares. Together." she says, squeezing Betty's hand. "When the four of us are together, I feel like we could live through anything, survive anything. I feel like we are invincible."  
"I know. I feel the same way." Betty says, chuckling.  
"The dreams will go away after some time, B. If not, you could always see someone. God knows you need it after everything you've been through." she says, her voice serious and Betty nods.  
"Okay. I'll probably go watch TV or something for a while. You go back to sleep." Betty says, climbing out of the bed.  
"Or, we could go on an adventure." Veronica declares, climbing out too. "Why don't you go and get dressed?"  
"What? Where?" Betty asks, looking at her, surprised.   
"I have no idea but don't worry, B, I am sure we can figure something out." she says, looking up from her phone and smiles. "The boys will be here in ten minutes. Hurry up."

"V, do I look okay?" Betty asks, tightening her ponytail and Veronica turns to look at her. She's dressed predictably in a pink sweater and jeans and the sight makes Veronica smile involuntarily.  
"You look stunning, as always." Veronica says, brushing her hair and Betty smiles at her, meeting her eyes in the mirror.   
"I don't say this much but you too." Betty says, gesturing vaguely at Veronica's black knee-length dress.   
"Thanks, B. Ready?" she asks, slipping her arm into Betty's and Betty nods.  
"This is probably the most teenagerish thing we have ever done. It's quite sad when you think of it." Betty whispers as they grab their coats and Veronica laughs as she locks her apartment. 

"There they are." Veronica says, as step out of the Pembrooke and catch sight of Archie and Jughead leaning against Archie's car and having an intense conversation.  
“Hope, we are not interrupting anything.” Veronica says with an amused grin.  
"Hey." Jughead and Archie say at the same time and Jughead steps forward to hug Betty.   
"Thank you for coming. I know you didn't have to." Veronica says, taking both of Archie's hand in hers.  
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss this for the world. And we never get to do things like this." he says, grinning at her and jerks his head towards Betty and Jughead still locked in a passionate embrace. "Is Betty okay?"  
"No, not really. But I think she'll be alright." she says, worriedly and Archie lifts her face to meet his.  
"And what about you? Are you alright?" he asks, concern etched in his features.  
"I'm fine, Archiekins, really." she says, smiling. "What about you?"  
"Me too. But if you want to talk, you know you can hit me up anytime, right?" he says, looking at her. "It's not like I'm running two businesses simultaneously."  
"Yeah, I know. And that goes for you too." she says.   
"If there's anything up with me, you'll be the first to know. I promise." he says." Okay, so I know an ice cream parlour not too far away. I thought we could eat some ice-cream and drive around. How does that sound?"   
"Sounds great." she says and turns around to look at Betty and Jughead who are now talking in hushed tones. "Thank god. They finally broke apart."

"Oi. You two ready?" Archie shouts and Betty and Jughead nod.  
"Archiekins, why is the car still running? Shouldn't you have turned it off?" Veronica asks, shutting the door behind her and Jughead snorts.  
"Just a technical problem, Ronnie. No worries." Archie says, turning to shoot Jughead a murderous look and starts driving along the road that leads out of Riverdale.   
"Are you sure your car won't stop in the middle of nowhere, Arch?" Betty asks, looking worried.  
"That's why we have you Betty. Mechanic Extraordinaire." Jughead says, grinning and Betty elbows him. They chat for a little while about the most innocuous of things trying not to bring up anything sensitive until Archie announces loudly that they have arrived.

\------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------

"No. I'm not interested. Evelyn, back off." Kevin mumbles, thrashing around in his bed and Tom Keller is quick to rush to him.  
"Kevin, honey, it's a nightmare, you need to wake up." he says, shaking Kevin's shoulder who doesn't respond.  
"Kevin." he says loudly, gripping both of his son's shoulders and this time Kevin jolts awake, looking around, scared and confused.  
"It's okay. It's okay." Tom says, hugging Kevin tightly. "I got you."  
"It felt real. I'm so sorry, dad." Kevin says and brushes a tear running down his cheek away.  
"There's nothing to be sorry for. None of this was your fault. Go to sleep, honey. I'll wake up for the next one. And remember, I'm not going anywhere." Tom Keller says and walks over to the chair next to Kevin's bed.  
"Dad." Kevin says, softly as Tom sits in his chair. "Thank you."

\------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------

"Two scoops of coffee for Jug, two scoops of strawberry for Betty, two scoops of cookie dough for Veronica and two scoops of chocolate for myself. Is that correct?" Archie asks, placing four cups of ice cream on the table and sits down next to Veronica.   
"Perfect. Thank you." Veronica says, smiling and kisses him on the cheek. "Can I have a taste of yours, Archiekins?"  
"Of course." Archie says and offers her his cup.   
"Yours too, B. Please." she says and Betty smiles at her.   
"You don't have to ask, V." she says and Veronica takes a tiny spoon of Betty's ice cream.  
"Before you ask me, Veronica, the answer's no. Stop being so greedy." Jughead says, glaring at Veronica and holds his ice-cream close to him.  
"B, tell your boyfriend to stop being so mean. It's just a tiny spoon." Veronica says, pouting and Betty laughs. "Archiekins, can you tell him?"  
"If you want it so badly, buy your own ice cream. I am not giving you mine." he says, staring defiantly at her.  
"Don't make me threaten you, Jones." she says, staring back at him.  
"I'd like to see you try, Lodge." he says, scoffing.  
"Guys, guys, calm down. Honestly, last week, we were being chased to death in the woods. And now, you both are threatening each other over ice cream?" Betty asks, crossing her arms and glaring at both of them.   
"Wow. That's a great Alice Cooper impression." Archie thinks and it's not until Jughead bursts out laughing that he realizes that he's said it out loud.   
"I'm sorry, Betts. I didn't mean to say it out loud." Archie says and Betty silences him with a glare. Makes him feel like he's in third grade again.  
"It's not fair, he started it first." Veronica says, crossing her arms. "If you don't let me have a taste, let me remind you, Jones, I own Pop's and that gives me the authority to permanently bar you from Pop's. No more burgers and milkshakes for the rest of your life."  
"Wow. That escalated quickly. Here, whatever." Jughead says, rolling his eyes and pushes his cup towards Veronica, looking as though the action causes him physical pain. "Happy?"  
"Very." she says, grinning and Betty shares a 'how-are-we-dating-them' look with Archie.  
"Should we make them shake hands?" Archie says, smiling at Betty who nods.  
"Yes. Jughead, V, shake hands with each other." she says in a stern voice.  
"Wow, we aren't in first grade. I'm not shaking hands with her." Jughead says, crossing his arms and jerks his head in Veronica's direction.  
"Wouldn't know that from either from your behaviours." Betty says, rolling her eyes.  
"Ronnie, shake Jughead's hand. We're not leaving until you two shake hands." Archie says, grinning and Veronica holds out her hand, begrudgingly.   
"Fine. Let's consider all this as water under the bridge. Okay?" she says, looking at Jughead who nods and shakes her hand.  
"Well, this is so much better. Isn't it?" Betty asks, cheerfully making both of them glare at her.   
"Both of you are such drama queens." Archie says, rolling his eyes.

"I think I'll have a scoop of vanilla next." Betty says and that's how they end up eating six scoops of ice cream each.   
"We shouldn't have eaten so much. I feel like I'm going to throw up." Jughead says, as they step out of the parlour.  
"Yeah same." Veronica says, looking rather awful.   
"I'm sure it'll all be fine if we go on a long walk." Betty says but not looks quite sure herself.

"Jug, mind if I steal your girl for a moment?" Archie asks. "You know that my car has been having some starting problems and I don't know how many times you can jumpstart a car without permanently ruining it. I want to ask Betty about it."  
"So that's why the car was still running when you picked us up." Veronica says and Archie smiles, sheepishly.   
"Sure. Go ahead." he says and Archie shoots him a grin.  
"Mind if I walk beside you?" Veronica asks, raising her eyebrows at him and Jughead shrugs. Offers her his arm.

"So, I was thinking." Veronica says, taking his arm and looks up at him. "You're my best friend's boyfriend and my boyfriend's best friend and frankly it's not much of a title. So, why don't we change it? You can just be my best friend."  
"Really?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at her, wondering if she's serious. He knows she's his friend. I mean, there are only a few number of years you could hang out with someone all the freaking time and not be their friend. But he had never considered her as his best friend and hadn't even thought that she had considered it before.  
"Really. I mean, look, I kissed B during the cheerleading try-outs and she's now my best friend. And I kissed you at Lodge Lodge. So, you are technically qualified to be my best friend." she points out, brightly and Jughead scoffs.  
"I'm not sure if anyone's told you this but that's really a weird way of making friends." he drawls.  
"Seems to work just fine for me." she says, shrugging. "But seriously we're the only two people of the four of us that are not friends and it feels really weird. It's already been ages and all of us are only going to be around only for a year. It'd be way more fun if we are friends too. Tell me that you'll at least consider it."

"I guess the idea's not that bad. Besides, you own Pop's and I do like that in a friend." he says, trying to fight the grin that keeps trying to show up on his face.  
"Wow. Thank you." she says and surprises him by throwing her arms around his neck.  
"There. There." he says, patting her on the back while simultaneously throwing Betty and Archie a mortified look, who just laugh at him.  
"B, Archiekins, this is Jughead Jones, official best friend of Veronica Lodge." she says, smiling from ear to ear.  
"Wow, when did this all happen?" Betty asks, looking from her best friend to her boyfriend, happy but confused.  
"Oh, it's all very recent. Not older than a minute." he says, grinning.  
"I mean, I am surprised, but wow, I am so happy that you are getting along." Archie says, looking positively excited.   
"Not to be a buzzkill but we should probably get home. It's almost five." Betty says, looking at her phone.  
"When did it get so late? Or so early?" Archie asks, looking shocked.  
"Probably when we were eating six scoops of ice cream." Veronica says, sighing.  
"Yeah, probably." Jughead says. "Come on. We should get home."

\------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning, Tee-Tee. Good morning, Nana." Cheryl says as she catches sight of Toni and her grandmother in her living room, looking through Cheryl's childhood photos with identical smiles.  
"Good morning, Cheryl. Slept okay?" Toni asks, looking up at her and closes the album she was looking at. "Want some coffee?"  
"That sounds great, Toni. Thank you." she says, smiling gratefully and watches her girlfriend disappear into the kitchen, humming some pop song under her breath.  
"I'll probably go check on the twins." Cheryl says, getting up and walks over to the nursery.  
"Hey, Cheryl. Need anything?" Peaches asks, looking up at her from the floor as she spots Cheryl opening the door.  
"Wow." she says as she catches sight of her entire gang, on the floor, gossiping in Juniper's and Dagwood's nursery, their leather jackets clashing against the bright yellow of the nursery.   
"Both of them are still sleeping." Tina whispers, not wanting to wake up the twins.  
"Here you are." Toni says, handing Cheryl her coffee. "I asked the gang to come over. Thought you might want a break from baby-sitting."  
"You are a life-saver. I love you." she says, smiling at Toni.  
"I love you too. Now that our schedules are free, do you want to go on a walk with me?" Toni asks, looking at Cheryl.  
"Sure. Just give me a minute to change. I'll meet you at the entrance." she says, kissing Toni's cheek and walks away towards her bedroom.  
"So, look, I know you have been moping for the past few days when you think I'm not looking at you and I need to know why." Toni says, stopping and crosses her arms once they are a considerable distance away from Thistle house. "If you want a break from us, it's perfectly fine. I could move in with Sweet Pea for a little while. I don't mind."  
"No, no. It's not you, it's not us. And I know I don't say this often, but you are the only constantly good thing in my life, Tee-Tee and I do not want to lose you." Cheryl says, turning to look at Toni with a panicked expression. "It's just. When Jason died, Veronica was always there for me and so was Archie. When I lost all hope, the four of them saved me. They have helped me so many times even when they didn't have to. And, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay them. And look at what my mother does, she tries to murder them. And, like, I know I have this 'HBIC' thing going on for me but it'd really break my heart if any or all of them stop talking to me."   
"Cheryl." Toni whines as though she thinks Cheryl's an idiot for even thinking that. "You know that they wouldn't. I mean, look, Betty's father tried to kill Archie's father. Veronica's father almost killed Archie, almost killed Jughead. Yet, the four of them are as close as ever. It's Riverdale, Cheryl. Everyone has kissed everyone and everyone has tried to kill everyone. I'm sure none of them will hold it against you. Okay? Trust me on this."  
"Thank you." she says and Toni rolls her eyes before elbowing her.  
"You're welcome." Toni says, grinning. "However, if you are still not convinced, we could go to Pop's when you're ready and talk to Veronica. I know you're closest to her of the four of them. If they do think so, which they won't, but, I mean, whatever, their loss. You're Cheryl freaking Blossom and I told you that I thought you were sensational when I first met you. And for what it's worth, I still think you are and I don't think that'll ever change, no matter what you do, okay?"  
"I don't know what I'd do without you, Tee-Tee." Cheryl says.  
"Probably burn your house down." Toni says, smirking and Cheryl rolls her eyes.  
"Oh my god, that was one time." she says, mock-offended.  
"Well, it's the kind of thing that counts even if you do it once, isn't it?" Toni asks, grinning.  
"Agreed." Cheryl mumbles under her breath.  
"So now that's out of the way, why don't we actually go on that walk?" Toni asks, slipping her hand into Cheryl's.  
"Of course." Cheryl says, smiling at Toni, the small smile she only gives her. 

\------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------

Jughead rolled over to the end of his bed and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. "Pop's. 3." Veronica's text message read and he checked the time. It was almost two in the afternoon. After their adventurous and memorable trip to the ice-cream parlour, Archie had dropped him home after dropping the girls at Pembrooke and he had crashed into his bed immediately without even bothering to change. 

"Hey, JB. What's up?" he asks, poking his head into his sister's room.  
"Nothing much, just playing with my online friends." she says, shrugging.  
"You do know that online friends could be different that they pretend, right? They could a lot older or more dangerous." he says, looking at her, concerned.  
"They can hear you, idiot." she says, throwing a pillow at him and he ducks.  
"Right. Just don't go and meet them if they ask you to. Especially if tell you not to tell your parents and stuff." he says and she glares at him.  
"Okay, grandpa. I'm not a six-year-old kid, I can take care of myself." she says, scoffing.  
"Yeah. Okay. I'm off to Pop's then. I'll lock the front door. Just be careful." he says, getting up.  
"You too." she says and he shuts the door behind him.

When he steps into Pop's, Archie, Betty and Veronica are already seated in their favourite booth with Archie and Betty facing him. As Betty and Archie catch sight of him, Betty smiles at him and Archie waves. It's nice, he thinks, whatever happens to them, whatever they go through, their tradition of 'burgers and milkshakes at Pop's' never changes. 

"Hey, Jug." Veronica says, turning to look at him and scoots to the end of the booth.  
"Hey. What's with the new seating arrangement?" he asks, flopping down next to Veronica. For the most of the last two years, Archie and Veronica had always sat next to each with Betty and Jughead on the opposite side. A handful of times, Betty and Veronica had sat next to each other leaving Archie and Jughead on the other side. Jughead and Veronica almost never sat next to each other.

"Oh, it was your new best friend's idea. Said she would sit only next to you." Betty says, rolling her eyes.  
"And wouldn't let us eat the New York cupcakes until you arrived." Archie says, throwing a longing gaze at the box in front of Veronica and Veronica laughs.  
"I don't get it. What's with the cupcakes?" he asks, confused.  
"It's a 'Veronica' tradition. When she messes up, she usually buys cupcakes." Betty says, smiling.  
"Usually, yes. But this time, it's for my new best friend." she says, turning to Jughead and holds the box in front of him.   
"Wow. This is so good." Jughead says, his eyes wide as he bites into the cupcake and the three of them laugh.  
"Help yourselves, guys." she says and Archie and Betty push each other's hands away to be the first one to take a cupcake from the box. 

Jughead's phone rings as they finish the last of the cupcakes and he excuses himself, walking out of Pop's.  
"Hey." Charles says as Jughead picks up the call. "Is now a good time?"  
"Yeah. Tell me." he says, looking at the three of him talking animatedly through the window absent-mindedly with a small smile on his face.  
"Can you and Betty come over? I found some information about the Farm." Charles says and Jughead's smile disappears.  
"Okay. We'll be there as soon as we can." Jughead says.  
"See you soon." Charles says and cuts the call.

"Hey. Is everything okay?" Betty asks as Jughead sits down and he nods.  
"It was Charles. He said he had some information on the Farm. Wanted us to come over." he says and watches Betty closely. She gives him a small nod, letting him know she's okay.  
"Now?" she asks and Jughead nods.  
"Yes, but we should probably tell these two about what we talked earlier. So, guys, Betty and I were talking a few days ago and we have something to ask you two." he says and takes a deep breath. "Arch, when we were younger, you helped me so much, you shared your family with me and I will always be grateful for that. And, soon after, I found myself a family - the Serpents and I mean, they are not perfect but they are great. I want to repay the favour. So, I am asking you if you want to join the Serpents with me and Betty. You too, Veronica."  
"No pressure, okay? It's fine if you don't want to. Whatever your answer is, what we are, this is not going to change." Betty says, firmly.  
"Wow, Archie gets a whole speech and I get a 'you too, Veronica'?" Veronica says, grinning.  
"I mean I've known Archie for like fourteen years and we've been best friends for only eleven hours, it's too short of a time period for a speech. Don't you think?" he asks, turning to look at Veronica who shoves him, playfully.  
"Both of you don't have to let us know now. Just think about it." Betty says, leaning forward.   
"Well, I am in." Veronica says, shrugging.  
"What." the other three say in matching tones of shock and disbelief.  
"My father used the Serpents for his own purposes, treated them like trash, almost killed Jughead and what better way to get back at him than becoming a Serpent myself?" she says, looking pleased with her explanation. "And, I could do with a family right now. Now that you guys aren't great."  
"Then, I'm in too." Archie says, leaning back.  
"You sure, bro? It's not something you can back out of later, you do know that, right?" Jughead asks.  
"I know you all think I'm impulsive and indecisive." he says and the other three nod their heads in unison. "But if it comes to the three of you, I don't have to think. I'll do whatever needs doing. Anything that involves the four of us, I'm in."  
"Wow, okay." Jughead says, looking touched. Betty looks away, pretending to enjoy the scenery and wipes her eyes, hastily. Veronica looks like she's going to start crying any second but pulls herself together, quickly. She has had years of practice doing this, anyway.   
"So, next Saturday, we are having a meeting with the Serpents and Jug and I thought you both could get your jackets then. Jughead and I will guide you through every step of the initiation so don't worry about it. And Arch already has the tattoo." Betty says, breathlessly. "Wow, this is going to be awesome."  
"So, Betty and I have to leave now but meet us tomorrow at the Whyte Wyrm at ten. We'll get your sizes for your jackets and begin the initiation." Jughead says, grinning. "See you."   
"See you, too." Archie and Veronica say in unison.

"Kevin has texted me asking if I want to come over. Seems like Cheryl and Toni are coming too. Do you want to come?" Veronica says, checking her phone.  
"Yeah sure. Let me buy some burgers and milkshakes for all of us. But no rom-coms this time, please." Archie says, looking at her.  
"We'll see." she says, grinning.  
"Such a diplomatic answer." he says and she elbows him.

\------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------

"Charles?" Betty calls out as they walk down the stairs into their half-brother's office.   
"Hey. Betty. Jughead. Come, sit down." Charles says, looking up from a thick file and they sit down opposite him. "So, I have been monitoring the text messages between Keller and Fogarty. Looks like they are meeting at the edge of Fox forest tonight."  
"You have been reading their text messages?" Betty asks, offended and Charles silences her with a look.  
"He is the last link to the Farm, to Alice, Betty. Would you rather me respect his privacy than save our mother and sister?" he asks and that shuts Betty up.   
"Okay, so, the plan is, I was thinking you two could follow Fogarty into the woods after his meeting with Keller and that would help me narrow down the location of the Farm. I'll be tracking your locations from here." he says, gesturing to his office.   
"I'm in. What about you, Betts?" Jughead asks, turning to look at Betty.  
"If we both go, Jellybean will be all alone at home, Jug. Why don't you go with Archie?" she asks and Jughead nods.  
"Could you call him and ask, Betts?" he asks and Betty nods, leaving the room to make the call.

"Charles, you don't think Alice is in trouble, do you?" Jughead asks as soon as Betty is out of earshot.  
"No, no. I'm positive that she's alright." Charles says, firmly. "Archie is the red-headed guy you two always hang out with, right? I always see the four of you together at Pop's."  
"Yup, he's the one." Jughead says, nodding.  
"Okay, so, you and Archie keep following Fogarty until you get my message. I'll send you a thumbs-up symbol when I'm confident about the location. Got it?" he asks and Jughead nods.  
"Yeah." he says and Betty enters the room and sits down next to him.  
"Well, Archie can't come. Seems, his mom's leaving for Chicago soon and he's going out to dinner with his family. But V's free and she said that she would love to come." she says.  
"Veronica's the tiny one, yeah?" Charles asks and Betty nods while Jughead tries very hard to not laugh. "Okay, so it's all sorted out. Good luck, Jughead."  
"Thanks, Charles." he says and the two of them walk out.

"Do you trust him, Charles?" Jughead asks as they walk out of their half-brother’s office.  
"No, not really." she says and Jughead nods.   
"You are not actually jealous of me and Veronica, right?" he asks, turning to look at Betty, grinning.  
"No. Not at all. I mean it's great that you two are finally friends and I am really happy. And I trust you and I trust V." she says and he gives her a skeptical look. "Fine, maybe, a tiny bit but it's still nice that the two of you have become friends."  
"I mean, I have heard you have go on and on about how amazing Veronica is for two years, Betts." he says, elbowing her. "It's only fair that now you get jealous of her instead of me."  
"I never talked much about her." Betty mumbles and Jughead raises an eyebrow at her. "Fine, maybe, I did."  
"Can you ask her to wear flats, tonight? If she owns one, that is. I don't think she can keep up with Fangs in her five-inch heels." he says.  
"Now that she's your best friend, Jug, why don't you tell her that yourself?" Betty asks, smirking.  
"I don't have a death wish, Betty. Please." he says, looking at her pleadingly. "Though I think Charles has. If Veronica ever finds out he called her 'tiny', she would murder him."  
"She probably would." Betty says, laughing.

"So, we still have time until tonight. Do you want to come over to my house and go through old Serpent records? There's something we need to do before the meeting." he says and Betty smiles at him.  
"Aww. You always come up with the best date ideas, Jug." she says, joking.   
"You know what they say, I'm very romantic." he jokes back and kisses her.

\------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------

"God, Kevin, show up already." Veronica grumbles, grabbing the binoculars from Jughead and checks the edge of the forest again for possibly the thousandth time. They had been sitting with their backs pressed to a huge tree, taking turns with the binoculars and not talking for the past hour and Veronica could already feel her legs becoming numb. She was itching to get up and walk around for a bit but decided against it for the sake of the mission, the secret mission. The 'J&V collaboration' as she called it. She knew she would never forgive herself if she had compromised their situation because of her impatience and willed herself to hold on a little longer.   
"Patience." Jughead says, patting her head, condescendingly and Veronica elbows him. Wonders if he's just as uncomfortable as her. 

"Can we talk about something? Looks like we have a lot of time to kill. Please." Veronica says, giving him, her best puppy eyes and he shrugs. She thinks it's the closest she'll get to a 'yes'.  
"Tell me the Bughead origin story. I have heard it a couple of times from Betty but I would love to hear your version." she says, turning to face him. “Did you have a crush on her from childhood? Pined after her hopelessly?"   
"Bughead? Really? You need to stop spending so much time with Kevin." he says, rolling his eyes. "Betty and I were friends when we were younger but we weren't really that close."  
"What? Really? Why? Are you hiding something from your best friend, Juggiekins? Come on, tell me, I won't tell a soul." she says, eyeing him curiously.  
"It's kind of a long story." he says, hesitating.  
"Like, I said, we are going to be here for a long time." she says and he looks at her, for a moment, a myriad of emotions flashing across his face.  
"Sorry, you don't have to if you don't want to. I'm sorry if I was being pushy." she says, her voice softer. "I could tell you a story from my New York days."  
"I'll tell you but you shouldn't mention a word of this to anyone, okay? This is top secret. You're the first person I'm telling." he says, his voice low and serious.   
"You have my word." she says, solemnly and Jughead takes a deep breath.  
"When we were younger, like I said, Betty and I weren't close. I liked her, we fooled around, we played together but she was competition and I reckon she felt the same way about me." he says and Veronica gasps, her hands flying to her mouth. 

"I mean it was perfect Archie. I knew him since kindergarten. He punched the kids who bullied me, stood up for me, let him stay at his house, shared his jumpers with me, shared his secrets with me, shared his parents with me. Growing up, my situation at home wasn't always great, but when I was with Archie, everything felt okay, everything felt alright. I was jealous of Betty because both of them were so good, so perfect, so untainted by everything that seemed to touch everything else and I knew, even then, that I could never be that. And Betty was jealous of me because no matter what she did, what she said, she could never be the kind of close I was to Archie. I don't know if it was a crush or if it was just infatuation because he showed me kindness and friendship or if I was in love with him. Whatever it was, I felt that for almost ten years, maybe longer." he says and waits for Veronica to move a little away from him or maybe tell him that he's pathetic and to never talk to her or Archie again but she takes his hand in hers and squeezes it a little.

"I didn't know if he felt the same way, sometimes I think he did, he would say sappy things, he would talk of running away from Riverdale, just the two of us, he would give me hope and then tell me about his newest crush and break my heart a little. And no matter how many times he broke my heart, I always let him break it again. And what we were never changed. He continued protecting me, I continued loving him and we continued being friends. He wasn't this handsome, back then and he never had a girlfriend, just a string of crushes which never led anywhere and I was content. With breakfasts at his house, dinners at Pop's, playing in the treehouse with him and Betty. I didn't have to share him with anyone and that felt enough." he says and takes a deep breath. "Then it happened. A lot of things actually. I ran away from home; I couldn't take it anymore. I called him in the middle of the night with a heavy backpack and heavier heart and he didn't pick up. I didn't know where to go but I knew, for sure, that I was not going back home. Pop offered me his couch. He called me the next day, I was angry, I was scared, I was stubborn, I was disappointed, I told him I called him by accident and he bought it. I got a job at the drive-in and moved in the same day. I later found out that he blew me off for a girl. It was the first time he had let me down and the first time it hit me that I didn't mean to him what he meant to me. I stopped calling him, stopped texting him, he cancelled our road trip, I didn't reply. If I had known it was Grundy, I probably would have told Fred or someone but I didn't know. And you know pretty much what happened after that." he says and watches her, scared and anxious.

"So, are you bisexual?" she asks, gently.  
"Never felt anything for a guy other than him." he says, shrugging.  
"Whatever you are, even if you have no clue what that is, it's fine, Jughead. Come here." she says and hugs him tightly.   
"Thank you, Veronica. Are you not angry or anything?" he asks, biting the inside of her cheek.   
"No. Why would I be angry? It wasn't your fault, Jug. You're allowed to love who you love." she reassures him, squeezing his arm. "But why didn't you never tell anyone about this?"  
"Telling Archie would have been a disaster. He would've understood but then it would have been awkward and I guess I was too scared to lose what he was for what he could have been. Like I said, Betty and I weren't close. My dad would have probably just given me a pat on the shoulder or something, he wasn't very great with emotions." he says, shrugging. "Don't worry. It's all in the past. I don't feel anything for him, anymore."

"God, this has to be the worst timing ever but Kevin's here." Veronica says, getting up and hands Jughead the binoculars. Kevin's close enough that Veronica can see him even without the binoculars. Can see that he is checking his phone every two seconds with a worried expression, can see that he is scared if Fangs will never show up.   
"Fangs is here, too." Jughead whispers to her, looking to their left and she can make out someone walking towards Kevin.  
"We got this, Jughead." she says, looking at Jughead and he nods at her. They look away, embarrassed when Kevin and Fangs kiss each other passionately and wait patiently for them to finish their conversation, staring at the ground the whole time.   
Jughead nods at her again when Fangs turns to leave and they follow him as quietly as they can, leaving a good distance between them and hiding behind trees. Jughead's phone buzzes after what seems like forever and he shows her the text. A thumbs-up from Charles. The signal for them to abandon Fangs' trail and return to Riverdale.   
"Come on." Jughead says and they begin to walk towards the direction of their town, retracing their steps. 

"I'll let you know if Charles gets any leads." Jughead whispers as they reach the edge of the forest.  
"Okay. Look, it already took us ages to become best friends and I'm not going to let anything change that. I won't talk about this until you want to but it's fine, Jug, we're fine." she says, turning to look at him.  
"Okay." he says, smiling at her. "I'll drop you home."  
"So, today was a success, huh?" Veronica says, getting down from Jughead's bike and turns around to face him, handing him the helmet she had been wearing.  
"Yeah, I'd say so." he says, grinning and she smiles back.  
"Well, I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow. Text me after you reach." she says, yawning.  
"Sure." he says and Veronica watches him drive away.   
"Reached." the text reads as she crashes on her bed after a quick shower and she texts back a smiling emoji before dozing off.

\------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------

"That's it, I guess." Betty says, standing next to Jughead in her Serpent Jacket and takes his hand in hers. "Everything's set up."  
"Do you think we should have rather done this in the Wyrm?" he asks and Betty shakes her head.   
"The weather's perfect, Jug. I think this is the right choice." she says. While they had argued between the Wyrm and their usual spot by Sweetwater river, they had finally decided to set up the meeting at the latter.   
"I love you." he says and Betty turns to smile at him.  
"I love you too." she says. "Nervous?"  
"No, not really." he says.   
"Actually, Sweet Pea's been brooding a bit more than usual. Why don't you go talk to him?" Betty asks, jerking her head in Sweet Pea's direction and Jughead nods.

"Hey, man. You okay?" Jughead asks, approaching Sweet Pea who looks up at him sharply.  
"My best friend's been brainwashed into joining a cult and I have no fucking clue where he is. And my other best friend has been exiled from the Serpents for something that wasn't worth getting exiled for. So, yeah, I'm fucking great. Don't worry about me." he says, getting up and Jughead takes a step back in surprise.  
"My half-brother Charles from the FBI has been assigned to the case and he's this close to finding where the Farm has been hiding. I know you're scared about Fangs but he'll be back with us soon. I promise, Sweet Pea." Jughead says, softly and then smirks. "And as for Toni, I guess you just have to see."

"Everything alright, kids?" FP asks, looking from Jughead to Sweet Pea and both of them nod.  
"I am proud of you, Jug and of all the decisions you have been making lately. I am proud of the leader you've become." he says, puling Jughead into a tight hug.  
"Thanks, dad." he says, smiling back.  
"Go on and join them, Jug. The 'core four' is incomplete without you." FP says and Jughead follows his gaze to where Betty and Veronica are standing near the makeshift stage holding hands and Archie is standing with his arms crossed, looking around, nervously. Veronica looks like a school kid holding her mother's hand on the first day of school and Jughead resists the urge to laugh.   
"Dad, where did you even learn that?" he asks, looking shocked.  
"Oh, JB said it. She called you lot that the other day." his father replies. "I never thought I'd live to see the day a Lodge joins the Serpents."  
"Veronica's my friend and she's a good person. She's not her father, dad." he says.  
"Yeah. I know. I trust you. Don't tell her that I told you this but she cried the entire time she got her tattoo. I had to stop and hug her a couple of times." FP says and Jughead snorts. "I'm happy that you lot are closer than we were at school. Go on. I need to welcome the crowd anyway."

"Hey, how are you both holding up?" he asks, approaching Betty, Veronica and Archie and Archie jumps.  
"I'm fine, I guess. Just nervous. I don't know, man." he says and Jughead laughs.  
"You'll be fine, Arch. It's just the nerves. Trust me." he says, patting Archie's arm. "Do your parents know?"  
"Dad knows. He was supportive. He wanted to come with me but I thought it'd look lame. He would have probably wanted to take pictures or something." Archie says, scoffing. "Mom wasn't exactly supportive but it's whatever."   
"Not gonna lie, I'm freaking out." Veronica says and Betty wraps an arm around her shoulder.  
"My dad can probably hug you again." he says, smirking and Veronica glares at him.  
"He said he wouldn't tell anybody. Wow, you can't trust anyone these days." she says, rolling her eyes.  
"The Pretty Poisons are here, V, why don't you go talk with Cheryl and Toni? Jug and I should be getting on stage, anyway." Betty says, softly and hugs Veronica tightly before letting her go.  
"It'll be fine, Arch. Why don't you talk with Sweet Pea for a few minutes?" Betty asks, hugging him too and Archie scoffs.  
"Betty, I literally got into a fight with him in junior year." Archie says.  
"Great. Then you have an excuse to talk to him. Betty and I will be close, we promise." Jughead says, squeezing Archie's arm and walks up to the stage.

"Hi, guys. How's everyone holding up?" Jughead asks, stepping onto the stage and the crowd cheers.   
"I probably sounded like an amateur DJ on his first gig and I apologize for that." he says and there are a few scattered laughs, this time.   
"We haven't done this in a long time and I have quite a few announcements, so bear with me, I'll get this over with as soon as I can." he says, grinning and the crowd falls silent.   
"First off, we have recognized," Jughead says, gesturing to Betty and himself. "that the Serpent Initiation dance is rather traditional, not to mention, misogynistic and sexist. And, that is more than enough reason to get it outlawed. So, I as the Serpent King, announce that the initiation for a female Serpent will henceforth not include the Serpent initiation dance."  
There are only a few cheers at that, mostly from female Serpents and Jughead stares directly at Toni, who is staring at him with a mixture of fondness and pride. Gives her a tiny nod to say 'this was for you'.

"Not the response I expected but moving on, we have been reading a lot on Serpent traditions lately and I think I found the one that I had been looking for. The 'Alliance' is an old tradition where the leaders of two gangs come together, declaring solidarity, friendship and support during difficult times. In a time of crisis, last year, the Poisons and the Serpents allied together and dealt with it efficiently. Moreover, it has always been one of my biggest regrets to exile my friend and Serpent mentor, Toni Topaz from the Serpents and I am hoping this will make amends." he says, gesturing in Toni's direction. "Will the leaders of the 'Pretty Poisons' Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz agree to form an alliance with the Southside Serpents?"   
Cheryl and Toni, look at each other, in surprise but quickly walk to the stage with matching beaming smiles.  
"The tradition includes the leaders of the gangs to wear each other's jackets as a sign of solidarity but I realize that I will not fit into either of their jackets." he says, laughing and a few Serpents laugh with him. "So, I request my girlfriend, the Serpent Queen to step forward and honour the tradition."  
Cheryl removes her 'Pretty Poisons' jacket quickly and trades it for Betty's Serpent jacket. She smiles at the audience who are now cheering and clapping.  
"Thank you." Toni whispers, throwing her arms around Jughead and Jughead pats her back, awkwardly.  
"Later." he whispers in her ear and Toni steps down from the stage, hand in hand with Cheryl. 

"The next announcement - the welcoming of our newest Serpents. I now ask Archibald Andrews and Veronica Lodge to come forward and accept their jackets." he says and the crowd falls silent instantly, mumbling confusedly. He hadn't expected the Serpents to accept Veronica into their gang so quickly but he was confident that one day they would come to see her as a fellow Serpent and not Hiram Lodge's daughter. Cheryl and Toni are the only ones cheering and clapping loudly, making up for the deadly silence among the crowd. 

He gives Archie and Veronica, a reassuring and proud grin and watches them walk towards the stage. They had practiced their walk to the stage all morning and Betty and him are taken turns giving them pep talks. He personally thinks, if Archie and Veronica are nervous, they do not show it all. 

"It's going to be over soon." he whispers as he helps Archie into his new Serpent Jacket and Betty helps Veronica into hers.  
"There's an old tradition of the Serpent King and the Serpent Queen choosing a closest companion each - the Serpent Commander and the Serpent Companion. One that stands by the King and Queen during both happy and difficult times. One that has a say in all the decisions taken by the King and Queen. And, I hereby declare Archibald Andrews as my Serpent Commander and Veronica Lodge as the Queen's Serpent Companion." he says and this time there is a polite applause.

"Now, the last announcement of the night - another new Serpent, my friend Kevin Keller." he says and hears several gasps below him. Kevin marches to the stage with an easy grin and waves at the Serpents mumbling to each other in confusion. If Veronica joining the Serpents was controversial, Kevin, the Northside sheriff's son becoming a Serpent was nothing less than a scandal.   
"Congrats, bro." he says, helping Kevin into his jacket and pats his arm.   
"Thank you all for coming and the next meeting will be on next Saturday." he says and the crowd disperses, still talking among each other towards the beer stand. Kevin hugs Betty, Archie and Veronica quickly before walking over to Cheryl and Toni who hug him too. 

"Did you really have to call me Archibald in front of everyone?" Archie says, glaring at Jughead and Jughead laughs.  
"Wow, I can't believe this is really happening." Betty says and they all hug each other, the way they held on to each other tightly in the woods after having escaped from Penelope's minions. But, this time there's only happiness. 

"Come on, since it's your first meeting, you both will have to mingle with the crowd, make small talk and all that." Jughead says, looking at FP. "But I promise that if it gets too boring, we can sneak out together to have milkshakes and burgers at Pop's."

**Author's Note:**

> What did season 4 actually need? The characters interacting with each other. So, it's just my personal headcanon that Jughead had unrequited feelings for Archie before Season 1 and I thought we should explore their relationship a bit. Jughead and Veronica are the friendship duo we never knew needed. Kevin and Betty have some PTSD because, come on, they went through some traumatic experiences. Cheryl feeling bad and Toni cheering her up would have such a sweet scene. And Archie, Kevin and Veronica joining the Serpents would have amazing. Too bad, all these scenes were not included in the series.


End file.
